Table Tennis Equipment

You have decided to take up table tennis. Now, all you need is the table tennis equipment. What do you really need? That depends somewhat on your plans. Do you plan on recreational play or tournament play? Those considering tournament play will want to purchase USATT or ITTF approved equipment. Specific equipment regulations cover ping pong balls, ping pong tables, table tennis rackets, table tennis nets, and the table tennis rubber sheets. Many of us have played table tennis in the past; maybe your parents had a table tennis table in the basement. If you haven't played in a few years or if you are new to the sport, there are some things you need to know about table tennis equipment. The International Table Tennis Association (ITTF) and the USA Table Tennis Association (USATT) have lists of approved regulation equipment available on their websites. If you are considering tournament play, make sure you buy approved equipment. There are extensive rules covering every aspect of the table tennis equipment. The Basics Start with a good Butterfly table tennis table. A regulation size table is 2.74 meters long and 1.525 meters wide standing 76 centimeters above the floor. The ping pong table should be dark color with while lines marking the boundaries. Some Stiga table tennis tables have a ping pong playback feature for playing alone. This works by folding one side of the table up and using it as a backboard.

For tournament play, the table tennis net assembly must have a uniform height of 15.25 centimeters above the playing surface of the tournament ping pong table. The bottom of the net must be as close possible to the ping pong table.

Table tennis balls have a star rating system. The more stars a ping pong ball has, the better the quality. A three star ping pong ball is competition level table tennis ball, while the one and two star ping pong balls are practice quality. The higher the quality, the easier the ping pong ball will crack and break. Balance the cost and breakage with the consistency of the bounce when choosing the ping pong balls.

Ping pong rackets and table tennis rubber sheets are sold together or separately. How you purchase these is largely determined by your level of play. For tournament play, paddles must be at least 85 percent natural wood. Regulations allow carbon fiber and other fillers, as long as the thickness is less than 0.35 mm. Table tennis rubber sheets have various sizes and lengths of pimples, and thickness of the overall table tennis rubber sheet. The thicker the table tennis rubber sheets are faster the play. Not everyone wants the most speed. Most players balance speed with control and their own playing level. Whether or not you plan to compete, it makes sense to use regulation table tennis equipment.